// Boots Hearingcare opens the UK’s first world of hearing store
// The store will provide customers with an immersive hearing care experience through state of the art equipment
In a UK first, Boots Hearingcare has opened the doors to its new flagship World of Hearing store in Welwyn Garden City.
The state of the art concept clinic has been built to revolutionise the way the nation thinks about hearing care and to help break down customer barriers within the sector as well as acting as the business’s main location for innovation and training.
Led by Sonova, a global leader in hearing care innovation, the concept of World of Hearing began in 2018.
After opening stores across Europe, the fitting on the UK’s store took place earlier this year in the former Boots Opticians store on Howardsgate.
The World of Hearing store will provide customers with a new immersive hearing care experience, utilising state of the art equipment, including a new immersion and experience room and self-screening suites, which enables the customer to experience the benefit of wearing hearing aids in many different, and typically challenging, environments.
As part of the experience, the suites remove the need to book an appointment, with the facilities opening up the opportunity for anyone to get a hearing test and speak with an expert whenever is convenient for them.
The new Welwyn Garden City clinic will also be where Boots Hearingcare trial its new products and services and develop its staff on the industry’s future technology.
Boots Hearingcare UK and Ireland managing director Rob Skedge said: “Traditionally, hearing care hasn’t been an interactive experience. That’s something that both Boots Hearingcare and Sonova recognise needs to change if we are to break down barriers and the stigma that surround the topic of hearing care.
“That’s why this opening of the UK-first World of Hearing store in Welwyn Garden City is so important and so exciting.
“It represents an opportunity for us to revolutionise the way we think about the topic of hearing loss and how we communicate that message to the wider population and those people that need it.
“Our long-term goal is to break down the barriers that have been in place and we believe this concept World of Hearing store represents a giant stride towards normalising the way we communicate about hearing care through a far more accessible, customer-centric, and technology-driven experience.
“It will truly be a fantastic experience and an amazing example of what we see as the future of audiology.”
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